Aquatic birds, like sea gulls and herons, often perch on boats and personal watercraft that are moored on or near the shore. Birds tend to flock, meaning that where there is one bird, more will follow. As a result, bird flocks often perch and rest on boats and personal watercraft. Whether one bird or a hundred birds, owners of boats and personal watercraft know that birds leave excrement. Birds foul boat and personal watercraft covers with excrement, and will foul all exposed surfaces. It is a problem encountered by most boat and watercraft owners at one time or another. On some inland lakes, the problem is severe, significantly hampering the usefulness of boats and watercraft due to the significant excrement build-up.
Bird droppings are a problem from both an aesthetic and health perspective. Just looking at a boat covered in excrement can be disturbing. Prior to using their boat or personal watercraft, owners and users have to carefully removed a fouled cover, preferably without contaminating themselves with excrement. Then, owners and users have to clean the excrement from user surfaces, significantly impairing the enjoyment of boating. Birds are also carriers of many diseases, some of which are transmitted to humans via bird droppings: Histoplasmosis, Candidiasis, Cryptococcosis, St. Louis Encephalitis, Salmonellosis, and E. coli, inter alia. Some diseases, like histoplasmosis, can actually be deadly.
Although this is a problem encountered by many, if not most, boat owners, there are surprisingly few effective countermeasures. There is a market demand for a device that stops birds from fouling boats and personal watercraft. The solution should humane, inexpensive, easy-to-use, and effective.